Reimagining leadership for a just and compassionate world

Coaching, programmes and consultancies for people leading change in humanitarian and social impact settings.

What We Do

For emerging and senior leaders working in humanitarian and social impact settings.

We partner with you to co‑create inclusive, resilient and human‑centred practice. Grounded in feminist, trauma‑aware and relational methods, our coaching and pathways honour local wisdom, centre justice and sustain impact under pressure.

Coaching with Purpose

Confidential 1:1 and small-group coaching for senior leaders, managers, and teams working in complex humanitarian contexts.

Our accredited coaches are also senior humanitarian leaders, bringing decades of lived experience to every session. We integrate trauma-aware and relational methods with tools such as the Leadership Circle Profile and reflective practice models.

Organisations gain: steadier decision-making, healthier team dynamics, and leaders able to sustain impact under pressure.

Inclusive Leadership Pathways

Tailored leadership programmes for youth, women, local and international leaders. Drawing on our Relational Leadership Pathway design, we combine experiential learning, peer coaching, and trauma-informed facilitation.

Each journey is co-created with partners to reflect context and culture.

Organisations gain: leaders who act with purpose and integrity, navigate difference with humility, and promote inclusive, resilient teams.

Transforming Humanitarian Systems

Consultancy support for organisations embedding feminist, trauma-aware, and relational leadership into governance, safeguarding, and strategy.

We work alongside teams — not over them — using process consultancy and coaching to create safe spaces for reflection and co-design.

Organisations gain: inclusive systems, stronger safeguarding cultures, and leadership practices that shift power and sustain change.

How it works

Confidential, trauma-aware and co-created from the outset.

Talk:
Book a short call so we can listen to what matters most.
Shape together:
We co-design an approach that fits your reality — not a one-size model.
Begin and adapt:
We get started, check in often, and adjust as we learn together.

About Us

Our Mission

To make coaching and leadership development accessible to all humanitarians – across genders, generations, and geographies – through feminist, trauma-aware, and relational practice.

Our Vision

A just and compassionate world where every humanitarian leader is supported to thrive.

Our Story

The Humanitarian Coach was founded in 2020 to address a simple truth: humanitarian leaders carry the weight of crises on their shoulders, often without the support they need. For too long, coaching and leadership development were reserved for a privileged few. We exist to change that.

While the company is young, our consultants bring 20–30 years of global humanitarian leadership experience each. Between us, we have supported thousands of leaders across more than 40 countries – from youth leaders stepping into their first roles, to women leaders shaping inclusive practice, to executives managing complex global responses.

Our Approach

We believe leadership is relational. It grows through care, equity, and shared power.

Our approach combines:

Trauma-aware practice – creating safe, supportive spaces that recognise the impact of crisis.
Feminist leadership – dismantling bias, sharing power, and making leadership inclusive.
Relational practice – building leadership through empathy, collaboration, and trust.
Accessibility – ensuring support reaches those too often overlooked.

This is consultancy with organisations, not to them. Using process consultancy and coaching together, we facilitate reflection, co-create solutions, and ensure change is owned locally.

Our Values

Care and wellbeing – leadership begins with care for self and others
Equity and inclusion – support for leaders across gender, geography, and role
Relational practice – centring connection and empathy in leadership
Feminist principles – collaboration, humility, transparency, and shared power
Agility – adapting quickly and sensitively to shifting contexts

Meet the team

We work alongside, not over.
Trauma-aware leadership, coaching and systems-change support — EN • AR • FR • ES.

Deb Barry

Co-Director

Deb Barry is an accredited coach and humanitarian leader with over thirty years’ experience across Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine, Haiti, Ukraine and beyond. As Co-Director of The Humanitarian Coach and Founder of Humanitarian Leadership Consulting (UK, 2020), she convenes a global network to deliver tailored strategy, leadership development and coaching for organisations, teams and individual leaders.

Grounded in values-based leadership, equity and collaboration, Deb works alongside clients to strengthen resilience, build safer and more inclusive systems and turn intent into practical, sustainable change. She recently led Learning & Capabilities at the Humanitarian Leadership Academy (2024–25), helped pilot the Young Humanitarian Internship Programme, previously held senior roles with Save the Children, and has taught with Deakin University’s Centre for Humanitarian Leadership.

Samantha Davis

Co-Director

Samanthas is a nonprofit leader and EMCC Senior Practitioner coach with over twenty years’ experience in UK charities and international organisations. She holds a Masters in Coaching and has designed mentoring and leadership programmes that support women, youth and senior leaders to grow in confidence and influence.

Her practice is feminist and trauma-aware, integrating relational leadership and systems thinking. She coaches leaders to build trust, share power and strengthen team dynamics, and has developed collaborative coaching networks and cross-organisational mentoring initiatives that connect people and ideas. Clients describe her coaching as creating the reflective space and trust needed to think differently and lead with care under pressure.